Cloning and expression of L-asparaginase gene in Escherichia coli

The L-asparaginase (ASN) from Escherichia coli AS1.357 was cloned as a DNA fragment generated using polymerase chain reaction technology and primers derived from conserved regions of published ASN gene sequences. Recombinant plasmid pASN containing ASN gene and expression vector pBV220 was transformed in different E. coli host strains. The activity and expression level of ASN in the engineering strains could reach 228 IU/mL of culture fluid and about 50% of the total soluble cell protein respectively, more than 40-fold the enzyme activity of the wild strain. The recombinant plasmid in E. coli AS1.357 remained stable after 72h of cultivation and 5h of heat induction without selective pressure. The ASN gene of E. coli AS1.357 was sequenced and had high homology compared to the reported data.     

A Crosslinked Nucleic Acid Nanogel for Effective siRNA Delivery and Antitumor Therapy

Functional siRNAs are employed as cross‐linkers to direct the self‐assembly of DNA‐grafted polycaprolactone (DNA‐g‐PCL) brushes to form spherical and nanosized hydrogels via nucleic acid hybridization in which small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are fully embedded and protected for systemic delivery. Owing to the existence of multivalent mutual crosslinking events inside, the crosslinked nanogels with tunable size exhibit not only good thermostability, but also remarkable physiological stability that can resist the enzymatic degradation. As a novel siRNA delivery system with spherical nucleic acid (SNA) architecture, the crosslinked nanogels can assist the delivery of siRNAs into different cells without any transfection agents and achieve the gene silencing effectively both in vitro and in vivo, through which a significant inhibition of tumor growth is realized in the anticancer treatment.     

高效离子交换色谱法分析青枯雷尔氏菌无致病力epsD突变菌株的异质性

利用高效离子交换色谱（HPIEC）技术结合形态观察和胞外多糖（EPS）含量测定,比较分析青枯雷尔氏菌无致病力突变菌株FJAT-91⊿epsD与强致病力出发菌株FJAT-91及自然致弱的无致病力菌株FJAT-1458的异质性。结果表明,菌株FJAT-91⊿epsD与菌株FJAT-91在菌落和菌体形态上均有明显差异,与菌株FJAT-1458的形态相似。胞外多糖含量测定结果表明,菌株FJAT-91⊿epsD的EPS含量（（12.64±1.46）μg/mL）显著低于菌株FJAT-91（（30.49±2.97）μg/mL）,与菌株FJAT-1458的EPS含量（（11.30±1.38）μg/mL）相当。高效离子交换色谱分离结果表明,菌株FJAT-91、FJAT-91⊿epsD和FJAT-1458形成的色谱峰个数和保留时间不同,菌株FJAT-91只有单一色谱峰P₃,保留时间为6.04 min;菌株FJAT-91⊿epsD有P₁和P₂两个色谱峰,保留时间分别为0.59 min和4.62 min;菌株FJAT-1458只有单一色谱峰P₁,保留时间为0.59 min。对不同色谱峰回收培养,并对回收培养后的菌株进行致病力鉴定。结果表明,番茄植株接种菌株FJAT-91-P₃后第4 d开始发病,第10 d发病率达100%;植株接种菌株FJAT-91⊿epsD-P₂后第9 d开始发病,第20 d发病率达100%;植株接种菌株FJAT-1458-P₁和菌株FJAT-91⊿epsD-P₁后,在观察期内均未发病。研究结果可为利用菌株FJAT-91⊿epsD防治作物青枯病提供理论依据。     

Silica microbeads capture fetal nucleated red blood cells for noninvasive prenatal testing of fetal ABO genotype

ABO hemolytic disease of the newborn (ABO-HDN), which may cause neonatal jaundice and polycythemia, or even stillbirth or neonatal death, is widespread in China. Prenatal testing for the fetal ABO blood group can reduce unnecessary concerns or ensure prompt treatment. Herein, we presented a method to employ high-density silica microbeads (SiO₂ MBs) for capturing fetal nucleated red blood cells (fnRBCs) in maternal peripheral blood, and we detected the ABO genotype of the fetus using these captured cells. We evaluated 52 patients using the SiO₂ MBs. Among 26 pregnant women with type O blood, 8 (30.8%) of the fetuses had type A blood, 5 (19.2%) had type B blood, and 13 (50%) had type O blood. SRY genes were detected in all 27 male fetuses. This study represents a simple and effective method for noninvasive prenatal detection of the fetal ABO genotype. We believe that this method has great potential for noninvasive prenatal testing of the fetal Rh blood group and other fetal diseases as well.     

Cloning, expression, and characterization of thermostable region of amylopullulanase gene from Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus 39E

The bifunctional activities of α-amylase and pullulanase are found in the cloned recombinant amylopullulanase. It was encoded in a 2.9-kb DNA fragment that was amplified using polymerase chain reaction from the chromosomal DNA of Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus 39E. An estimated 109-kDa recombinant protein was obtained from the cloned gene under the prokaryotic expression system. The optimum pH of the recombinant amylopullulanase was 6.0. The most stable pH for the α-amylase and pullulanase activity was 5.5 and 5.0, respectively. The optimum temperature for the α-amylase activity was 90°C, while its most stable temperature was 80°C. Regarding pullulanase activity, the optimum temperature and its most stable temperature were found to be 80 and 75°C, respectively. Pullulan was found to be the best substrate for the enzyme. The enzyme was activated and stabilized by the presence of Ca²⁺, whereas EDTA, N-bromosuccinimide, and α-cyclodextrin inhibited its bifunctional activities. A malto-2–4-oligosac-charide was the major product obtained from the enzymatic reaction on soluble starch, amylose, amylopectin, and glycogen. A single maltotriose product was found in the pullulan hydrolysis reaction using this recombinant amylopullulanase. Kinetic analysis of the enzyme indicated that the K _m values of α-amylase and pullulanase were 1.38 and 3.79 mg/mL, respectively, while the V _max values were 39 and 98 μmol/(min · mg of protein), respectively.     

Retrovirus-mediated transduction of a cytosine deaminase gene preserves the stemness of mesenchymal stem cells

Human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have emerged as attractive cellular vehicles to deliver therapeutic genes for ex-vivo therapy of diverse diseases; this is, in part, because they have the capability to migrate into tumor or lesion sites. Previously, we showed that MSCs could be utilized to deliver a bacterial cytosine deaminase (CD) suicide gene to brain tumors. Here we assessed whether transduction with a retroviral vector encoding CD gene altered the stem cell property of MSCs. MSCs were transduced at passage 1 and cultivated up to passage 11. We found that proliferation and differentiation potentials, chromosomal stability and surface antigenicity of MSCs were not altered by retroviral transduction. The results indicate that retroviral vectors can be safely utilized for delivery of suicide genes to MSCs for ex-vivo therapy. We also found that a single retroviral transduction was sufficient for sustainable expression up to passage 10. The persistent expression of the transduced gene indicates that transduced MSCs provide a tractable and manageable approach for potential use in allogeneic transplantation.